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November 21, 2012

How to have fun with fresh cranberry sauce

According to a cute 1947 illustrated recipe ad from Eatmor Cranberries (don’t you just love that name?), the secret to having a blast with this tart, juicy, crimson hued fruit it to whip up their speedy, scrumptious Ten Minute Cranberry Sauce recipe.

I'm not one to argue there, given that a mere three ingredients and just 1/6th of an hour are required to bring flavourful homemade cranberry sauce to the table.

While those of us here in Canada tucked into our roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and mountains of fluffy stuffing last month, the fine folks south of the 49th are gearing up to celebrate Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, which is why this morning seemed like the ideal time to share this festive vintage recipe with you.

If you've already made, bought, or otherwise have plans for Thursday's cranberry sauce, fear not, this ultra simple recipe (which I've made, and can attest is a gem - I added a little mandarin orange zest towards the end of cooking for an extra hit of flavour, which is similar to the suggestion in the recipe itself for the addition of tangerines) is wonderful to have on hand for Christmas, next Thanksgiving, or any time you're in the mood for some homemade cranberry sauce.

{Whether you try one of the spins suggested above or stick with the three ingredient classic, this lovely cranberry sauce recipe is the kind of classic that will always remain a beloved holiday favourite. Image via Charm and Poise on Flickr.}

I think the suggestions provided here on how to further jazz up this sauce are terrific. I’d never thought of putting bananas in cranberry sauce, but now I'm wildly curious to know if this combination works or it it's as eyebrow raising as I suspect. Mint is always lovely with cranberries, especially if you plan on serving this sauce as an accompaniment to lamb.

Almonds are great here, as is the addition of a little almond extract, or if you're not an almond person, then pistachios or even shelled pumpkin seeds for a pleasant hit of crunch. I adore pears and cranberries and think that's my favourite of the add-in ideas they offer.

Celery is a good addition, though if you were heavy handed with it in your stuffing or elsewhere, you may want to forgo using celery in your cranberry sauce. If you're more of an apple person, then you could certainly use those instead of pears, too (I'd go with a somewhat sweet apple, such as Fuji or Red Delicious to help offset the tangy tartness of the berries).

I certainly know how busy the day before Thanksgiving can be, so I'll wrap this fun little 1940s recipe post up here for now, but not before I wish each and every one of you who will be celebrating it tomorrow, a deeply, serenely beautiful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow. Having online friends like you is a blessing I count every time we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner at my house.

I love cranberry sauce. We're not into a traditional thanksgiving. This year were doing personal pizzas and for desert pumpkin and apple pie. It's kind of a weird family tradition of pizza and pumpkin pie that evolved. So yummy!

Cranberry sauce is a favorite of mine; I grew up with it and have it every Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. It took my husband a while to warm up to it, since he grew up with the canned jelly version, which cannot hold a candle to THIS!

It used to be that I was the only one in our little family who would eat the cranberry sauce, which was always okay with me since it keeps well for a long time. I love it on buttered toasted homemade bread.

Now nearly all of my five children love it, and my husband enjoys it in small portions.

Cranberries look so like jewels...one of the most beautiful things on my holiday table!

I have been making homemade cranberry sauce for years (courtesy of my grandmother, who instilled that in me from childhood, and the torch has been passed on to my daughter (who, by the way, did ALL our Thanksgiving cooking). Making cranberry sauce oneself is so easy, and it is vastly superior to the canned stuff, so I have never understood why more people don't make their own. We buy several bags of them when they are available in the stores...that way, we can have homemade stuff all throughout the year.

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

Stay a spell and have a blast as we explore the incomparably fantastic world of vintage history and fashion together.

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